Why Was Britain Industrialized

By Definition, a rapid major change in an economy (as in England in the late 18th century) marked by the general introduction of power-driven machinery, or by an important change in the prevailing types and methods of use of such machines.- Merriam- Webster This definition over simplifies the industrial revolution. In reality the Industrial Revolution was much more complex and encompasses many different aspects. With that said the events that led to the Industrial Revolution were even more complicated. How and why Great Britain was the first to lead the Revolution was multifaceted and involves many aspects of economic and social developments. The predisposition of easily acquired recourse and healthy state politics allowed Great Britain to prosper. A core piece of the Industrial revolution was the advent of new technology. This technology would increase the production and efficiency of all factories. As more and more people flooded the cities and towns the demand for more goods skyrocketed pushing civilization into a new age. The Industrial Revolution was a cycle that feed itself, with need came technology and with technology came need and through this process arose new society. What led Great Britain to become the first country to star in the Industrial Revolution, comes down to a complex system of factors. Each aspect holds a major role in the contribution in the growth of the Industrial Revolution and of Great Britain.

Britain enjoyed the significant economic advantages during the early years of the Industrial Revolution for many reasons. The Industrial Revolution built on earlier developments, but took time to progress. It eventually began to help ordinary people in the West to gain a higher standard life of living. Great Britain had more advantages such as natural resources, political stability and favorable geography. According to the textbook, A History of Western Society, “Britain possessed a unique set of possibilities and constraints, such as abundant coal, high wages, a relatively peaceful and centralized government and well developed financial systems…” (622) and the list goes on. Furthermore, agriculture played an important role in the Industrial Revolution in Britain. “English farmers were second only to the Dutch in

To start off, England had all the natural resources needed to industrialize. England had a natural supply of wool, cotton, coal, iron, lead, and tin (doc 1). These are all resources that are needed and helpful when industrializing. Wool and cotton are especially good for the textile industry, whereas iron was great for making tools and machinery. Along with these resources, England’s location enabled trading due to it’s many waterways. You can not be more than 70 miles from the sea in England (doc 4). Even the animals in the country were an advantage. For example, the sheep in England gave off the best wool (doc 4). Having natural resources helped England industrialize because it saved the country from having to trade, and/or travel to other countries in order to get what they needed. So many of the natural resources needed to industrialize were found in England. England had everything from coal to power

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain for several reasons. By the mid-1700's, the country had become the world's leading colonial

Great Britain was the first country to really experience industrialization. A combination of the small country, agricultural improvements, large population growth, increases in national wealth, and access to cheap materials and mineral resources allowed the Industrial Revolution to grow in Britain. Because Britain was such a small area of land, the transport of goods and materials was cheap through roads, rivers, and canals. Agricultural improvements resulted in an increase in the production of food which allowed people more disposable income in which they could purchase manufactured goods. Large population growth supplied abundances of laborers who could be employed in factories. Access to cheap materials from Asia and the Americas and mineral resources increased national wealth which allowed industrialization to continue.

The Industrial Revolution began in England because they had the best natural resources, they had a geographic advantage and they made changes in their agriculture.

The Industrial Revolution began in England because of their access to many resources along with their location which provided many of the things they needed.

England was the first to industrialize through their surroundings. A map shows the places that they had to use for resources like coal, wool,and etc (Doc 1). From this they had lots of materials to build up their businesses. This shows that england was able to show where resources were located. England took the chance to industrialize first.

The country transformed from quite poor into wealthy. There were many reasons as to why the Industrial Revolution commenced in England. The Industrial Revolution began in England in the 1800s due to Britain’s geography and natural resources; technology and agricultural advancements; and the political and economic freedom. One of the reasons that the Industrial Revolution began in England dealt with the abundance of natural resources.

England was fortunate to be comprised of the perfect natural resources to jumpstart the Industrial Revolution. In Landmarks in English Industrial History, George Warner says “England is rich in these advantages, that she has coal and iron… that her harbors are plentiful… and that no part of the country is farther than seventy miles from the sea” (Document 4). England holds coal, iron, lead, tin, and wool, that were needed for industrialization. The country as an island, provides it’s people with many harbors to help trade overseas. England having helpful resources, assisted in starting the first Industrial Revolution.

The industrial revolution began in Great Britain because of the textile industry. Britain had an abundance of cotton used in the making of textiles. When the cottage industry and the manufacturing of clothes at home changed to the factory system, new machines were being created. Also several key-inventors of theses machines where from Great Britain, and contributed to the factory system being established. Also efficient transportation was already set up in Britain and was further innovated with the demand between procedures and suppliers. Great Britain also had a lot of natural resources. Also the workers in the new factories of the

Britain was also the leading trading nation in Europe, which gave their merchants lots of capital. So as a result they used their capital to invest in textiles, mines railroads and shipbuilding. Britain also had a large colonial empire, which supplied it with raw materials for their factories. In addition people in the colonies bought finished goods produced by British industry. Also the government encouraged industrial growth, it lifted restrictions on trade, it encouraged road- and canal- building, and it maintained a strong navy to protect British merchant ships all over the world.

England was an ideal place for the Industrial Revolution to begin. It had a great location it was by the water, so it was perfect for employment. It had lots of natural resources; it had a good or rather a wealthy economy and also a large population. Countless people were domesticated workers. The

In short, I believe that although it was not predetermined that Western Europe, the United States, and Japan would become the richest countries in the world today, it was inevitable that the Industrial Revolution would take place in Britain and subsequently spread to the US and other Western European countries. In order to help support this theory, one must look back to the pre-industrial stages of all of these regions, but for the sake of the argument let’s narrow it down to Britain and sub-Saharan Africa. Before industrializing, Britain had just experienced an Agricultural Revolution which was single-handedly the greatest determinant of why Britain was the first country in the world to industrialize. Food prices had reached an all-time low, allowing families to spend more money on manufactured goods. The population had increased tremendously which in turn lead to a surplus of workers ready for jobs in new industries. Compare this to Africa, which at the same time revolved around a tribal system as its primary form of government, and it becomes clear as to why Britain was the first country in the world to industrialize. Britain had a much better head start on the process of industrialization in comparison to Africa, which in some areas, still has yet to industrialize to the standards of Britain in the seventeen-hundreds. Britain had gone through the Enlightenment and the English Renaissance which allowed its people to formulate ideas, invent commodities, and generally advance much more rapidly than the entirety of Africa ever

First, Britain had some tremendous natural attributes. It was naturally endowed with many deposits of coal and iron ore, which were used heavily in the early stages of factory production. In addition, Britain was situated at a critical point for international trade. Its position between the United States and the rest of Europe allowed them to have a serious impact in all matters of trade.